How to Remove Auto Body Emblems
If you want to put custom emblems on your vehicle, customize your existing emblems or just go badgeless, you’ll need to remove the emblems on your vehicle. You will have to exercise reasonable care and have a plan in place for this task to avoid causing unnecessary damage to your paint or bodywork.
Classic Car Emblems
On older vehicles, prior to around 1980, most emblems are held on with molded studs that pass through holes in the bodywork. Attached to those studs are pressed on fasteners to hold the emblem in place.
To remove these emblems you will need to get to the inside of the bodywork. It is sometimes possible to carefully pry the emblem from the outside but you run a significant risk of damage to either the emblem or to the exterior of the vehicle. For emblems on trunk lids or hoods there are usually holes in the reinforcement to allow access to the fasteners. On fenders you will likely have to remove the fender liner to get access. On doors, the door panel has to be removed.
Once you have access to the fasteners you will want to carefully pry them from the studs on the back of the emblem. If you are going to reuse the emblem you will probably want to try to avoid breaking the studs but you may choose to use the newer adhesives such as have been used for the past few decades to replace them and won’t have to worry about it.
Once the fasteners are removed the emblem will come right off.
Newer Car Emblems
On virtually all newer cars the emblems are attached with an adhesive made by 3M or something similar. This is powerful stuff and how you approach the task is very important. Using sharp tools or excessive heat can cause serious paint damage that could be very expensive to repair properly.
To begin the process you may consider heating the emblem and the underlying adhesive. A hair blow dryer is the ideal tool for this task, as it won’t get excessively hot. You probably won’t want to use a heat gun, and definitely not any kind of torch, as you run the risk of heating the paint excessively and causing bubbles or worse.
Once you have warmed the adhesive you will want to cut the emblem from the body. You will use 30lb test fishing line or dental floss for this job. Be sure to wear gloves to prevent the string from cutting your hands.
Wrap the line around your hands so you have a good grip far enough apart to pass behind the emblem. Placing the line against the body next to the emblem and using a sawing motion cut the adhesive from behind the emblem. Don’t go too fast or use too much force or you will end up breaking the line.
When the emblem is cut off you will have adhesive remaining on the paint. There are a number of tricks for removing this adhesive but none are foolproof. You can try bug and tar remover, Goo Gone or even WD40. 3M does make a cleaner specifically designed for this purpose but it can be expensive. Spray the adhesive and avoid excessive overspray. Let the cleaner set for a while and rub with a clean cloth to remove as much adhesive as possible. It may take several applications to completely remove the adhesive. When it is gone clean the area thoroughly and apply a bit of wax to bring back the shine. Do not leave these cleaners on your paint for an extended time as they can dull or damage your paint.
